Once the high of the engagement wears off, it’s time to get down to planning! Ok, but what does that really mean? For some it means mom takes over and you just go along with the program. For others, it means you corral a few good friends (a.k.a. your bridesmaids) into helping you and your fiance meet with various hotels, locales, and vendors. And for some, it may mean interviewing Wedding Planners to help you get to I Do. Whatever your situation, there’s lots of information to be gathered whether you get it online, from reading books and magazines or from friends and family alike. Before things get out-of-hand and you find yourself in information overload, go to the bookstore or nearest stationary store and buy yourself a pretty journal – one that will fit into most of your handbags because you’re going to take this everywhere with you for the next 6 months, 9, months, 12 months or whatever the duration until your BIG DAY. Find one that you really really like and begin to record your random thoughts and ideas, as well as your fiance’s, in there. Take notes at each vendor meeting, during each phone call, dress shopping expedition, pretty much for all things wedding-related. This way, you dont have to rely on your memory; trust me 4 months after your menu tasting you are not going to remember precisely why you liked that second course much less exactly what it was, but all of your thoughts (and his too!) will be recorded in your trusty notebook and you’ll be able to refer back to it when you need to.

Your wedding professionals, from the folks at the venue to your hairdresser, will be glad that you’ve got a wedding notebook – it’s kind of like a court transcript – there’s something to refer back to when memories get fuzzy a few months down the line. Don’t take it the wrong way if someone forgets a tiny detail that was important to you a few weeks or months after your initial meeting with them; remember, although it’s your BIG DAY, you’re not the only bride on their roster!

[image from Kate's Paperie]

I just got married. It’s been a wonderful and blissful three weeks so far. For the record, I do not purport to be a Wedding Planner by any stretch of the imagination, that’s one job I will gladly leave the the professionals (I think Wedding Planners and Wedding Photographers must have been graced with the patience of Job and nerves of steel to do what they do). But, I did learn a lot during the planning process. Overarchingly, I learned that while I’ve been to plenty of weddings, and I’ve been in my fair share of weddings, I really had no clue about all of the detail that goes into planning a wedding. It doesn’t matter how big or small a wedding is, whether it’s at The Ritz or in your backyard, there are tons of decisions that have to be made. When looked at in toto, I found the decision-making process overwhelming. However, when broken down into components it was much easier to sit down and process. So, in keeping with Wedding STYLE by Kalyn Johnson’s premise of helping you look your best the week of your wedding, stay tuned for future postings on how to stylishly navigate the wedding planning process by putting one heel-clad foot in front of the other as you traverse the well-worn path down the aisle to the alter.